Pa. judge fines woman who cursed at jury selection

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A northwestern Pennsylvania woman has been fined $500 for dropping an f-bomb because she was frustrated with being picked to serve on a jury.

The Erie Times-News reports Erie County Judge Ernest DiSantis levied the fine Wednesday when Kathleen Port cursed after being picked to hear an illegal weapons case.

Judge DiSantis told the Erie woman she was “totally out of line” and explained jury service is a duty of citizenship.

Port, whose phone number is unlisted, apologized several times but was fined nonetheless.

She told the judge she was upset because jury service would make her miss work and cost her income.

Judge DiSantis says Port could have claimed a hardship on her jury service questionnaire, but did not. She was also thrown off the jury.